Background: Information Provision Environment (IPE)
Kathy McConnell
The Global Environmnet
The BFE High School Media Center is located in Beuford Franklin Edison High School, which is a part of Lafayette County District Schools. BFE High is located in rural Lafayette County, FL. The population of Lafayette County is 7,482. The school district consists of one Elementary School and one High School, which is governed by a School Board consisting of 5 members.
The BFE School Library Media Center’s primary users are students of BFE High, teachers, and parents. BFE high consists of grades 6-12, and has an enrollment of 520 students. There are 45 teachers and 34 support personnel. All of the students in the school use the library to some extent due to either class visits or assignments that require use of library space and/or library materials, with the lower grades using the library more often. Higher grades tend to use the library only when specifically assigned to do so. Most teachers use the library, but few of the support staff do.
The SLMC is three years old, and is encouraging all students to visit the library. Lower grades are coming in a class, and teachers are assigning older students work which requires library use as a way to introduce them to the benefits of a school library. As a new organization, the media center does not have a lot of parent use and is trying to get the word out to parents about the benefits of a school library and encouraging parents to take part in library activities.
An important change in the external environment has been the election of a new School Superintendant. The district now has a new superintendant of schools who strives to improve communication with parents by improving the district’s website by implementing a product called Pinnacle within the next years which will allow parents to view their child’s exact grades and more easily communicate with teachers. This new Superintendant values communication and is implementing a management style which includes monthly input from all levels of the school district.
The Organizational Environment
The School Media Center has a head librarian and one assistant librarian. The organizational structure most closely matches Gareth Morgan’s Models 1 and 2. While the bigger structure of the school district is much like a bureaucracy (Model 1), the media center itself has characteristics of Model 2 in which moderate amounts of change are easily managed. The employees of the media center answer to the school’s principle, who in turn answers to the school board. This system is much like a classical bureaucracy. Inside the walls of the school media center however, the two-member team often behaves in accord with Morgan’s Model 2. Since the media center is relatively new, there have been various changes that have been dealt with as the organization started its initial operations. Since the organization is a two-member operation, there is occasional teamwork and collaboration between the two employees, with the head librarian asking for input from the assistant, but the professional librarian often makes final decisions alone.
The school district allots $9,000 for an operational budget which the librarian must use for all items including books, magazine subscriptions, programming, and supplies. The librarian often finds it difficult to stretch the budge to fill the needs. Since the center is new, she is still ordering first-time purchases for materials, software, furniture, etc. that a more established organization would already have in place. There are 3 computers for the student body to use. During classes, student’s take turns at the computers, so that students entering the media center for extra work outside of organized classes often find that there is not a free computer. The librarian hopes to receive more funds for new computers.
Internal communication between the librarian and assistant is smooth because the two are usually working together and speak in person daily. Communication with the principle is carried out through occasional meetings. Communication with the larger school district and school board is carried out through email and occasional planned meetings. Communication between the librarian and assistant functions very well, while communication with higher-ups sometimes breaks down.
The two employees get information relevant to their jobs through the internet and reading job-related journals. The head librarian is a member of ALA and SLA and stays on top of new professional developments and information through dialog within these organizations. The librarian shares information with the assistant that is relevant.
The Customer Service policy is to support BFE’s vision statement, which reads “The vision of the Lafayette County School District is to provide all students with educational opportunities within a safe environment conducive to learning which will enable them to become successful students and positive, productive citizens.”. The library sees it’s customer service role, as well as its overall mission, to support this vision in every way possible.
The User/Information Match Environment
The SLMS strongly believes in Intellectual Freedom and continually promotes the freedom to read, while balancing that belief with parental input, teacher and student requests, and the rare challenge of materials. She strives to provide students with a broad range of reading materials which include a wide variety of subjects and represent various cultures and ethnicities in their topics. The SLMS is currently working on a written Intellectual Freedom Policy, with guidance from the American Library Association.
The SLMS believes that all students should have fair access to information, while respecting copyright laws. She has published a hand-out to give to students who are working on research which outlines basic copyright laws. Since the students are getting their first taste of researching and their first information regarding copyright laws, the wording is very simple in the hand-outs to introduce students to the concept of intellectual property rights. The hand-out is a bulleted list of points to remember regarding intellectual property rights, such as remembering to give credit to an author for all ideas taken from a work, and examples of when an author should be given credit in a term paper.
The SLMS believes strongly in the library users’ right to privacy. She seeks to uphold the ALA’s guidelines on this issue. She is currently working on a written policy which balances the concerns of parents and school administrators while adhering to the ALA guidelines, which is a tricky undertaking. Fortunately, so no major issues of privacy concerns have arisen and the SLMS has adhered to an unwritten (and unchallenged) policy of keeping all information about library users private. She hopes to have a written policy to follow in place soon to use when/if an issue arises.
The SLMS hopes to improve the reading skills of the students at BFE High by making reading more enjoyable to students. According to the Florida Department of Education, only 54% of the students in our school are meeting the High Standards in reading, with 58% making learning gains in reading. Our School Media Specialist is dedicated to increasing these numbers and has collaborated with teachers who are also committed to improving reading scores of students. The SLMS is actively engaged in trying to improve students’ interest in reading, knowing that if they are interesting in reading material they will spend more time reading, and thus become better readers. The SLMS is working with teachers to find out what areas are being studied in order to add additional titles to the collection which are both useful and attractive to students. An example is a recent assignment the English classes had to write a term paper. The teacher and SLMS collaborated on a plan to get students more interested in the research and reading for the papers. The teacher allowed the students to choose their own topics at the beginning of the year by brainstorming what they would really be interested in learning more about. Student’s choices were broad, including such topics as “the history of football”, and “Prince William of England”. By knowing the topics ahead of time, the SLMS allocated a portion of funds to purchase materials just for this topic. She chose attractive informative books with these students and their project in mind. These were materials that she would not have otherwise added to the collection, but she felt it was worth it because the student’s would hopefully enjoy the reading more and therefore improve their reading skills due to enthusiasm and a better attitude. This project was a success, with the teacher reporting that students were more interested in their topics than in past years and spent more time reading the resources in depth and wrote more in-depth papers than in previous years.
Additionally, the SLMS is coordinating book purchasing with student’s requests for materials for pleasure reading such as graphic novels and other popular novels. In her past experience she observed students viewing reading as a boring activity they only grudgingly did because it was assigned. She believes that if a student enjoys reading and views it as a pleasurable activity, they will get more practice reading and become better readers.
Sylvia Henderson
The Global Environment Beuford Franklin Edison High School builds a community of learners. Beuford Franklin Edison High School is located in a rural town in Mayo, Florida, and its poulation is 8,013. Beuford Franklin Edison High School is an "A" rated combine middle and high school, which has 520 enrolled students. The staff includes 45 certified teachers and 34 support personnel. Beuford Franklin Edison High School is well known for the following programs: Agriculture, Atheletic, and Business. In addition to these programs, Beuford Franklin Edison High School's accountablilty report reflects that it meets high standards in all subject areas. Currently, Beuford Franklin Edison High School is actively involve with the following Federal projects:
* Title 1- Part A: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged-This program is designed to provide supplemental instrutional services to students at risk of not achieving proficiency in the state's standards.
* Title I Part C: Education of Migratory Children- Students are eligible for services under this if their parent(s) have made moves to obtan work in certain agricultural jobs which are temporary in nature.
* Title II Part A: Teacher and Principal Training and Recuriting Fund- This federal project is ued to reduce class size by hiring one additional teacher at the elementary level. The remainder of the funds are used to prodvide professional development for teachers.
* Title II Part D: Enhancing Education through Technology- Title II D funds and Title II ARRA ( American Reinvestent and Recovery Act) funds are used for technology hadware, software, and technology training for teachers.* Title VI Part B Subpart 2: Rural and Low Income Schools Program- TheTitle VI project funds may be used for a variety of purposes to improve instruction in the school district.
* Title X Part C: Education of Homeless Children and Youth Project- The purpose of this fund is to assist children whose education may be impacted as a result of their living situation. Students who are residing in a temporary shelter, living in a mobile camper or car, living in substandard housing or living doubled up with another family out of economic necessity are entitled to the services of the Homeless Liaison.
The Organizational Internal Environment
The media center at Beuford Franklin Edison High School is managed by one employee and library assistants who help throughout the year. This employee has an MLIS with school library media certification, and has been a school media specialist for fifteen years. Beuford Franklin Edison High School Media Center offers a fairly extensive package of age-approriate online resources. Beuford Franklin Edison High School Media Center resembles Gareth Morgan's #1 Model. The certified media specialist roles and responsiblities are broad: Teacher, Instructional Partner, Information Specialist, and Program Administrator. As a Teacher, the media specialist collaborates with students, teachers and other members of the learning community to anylaze learning and other members learning community to analyze learning and information needs, locate and use resources that will meet those needs, and talk to understand and communicate the information the resources provide. As an Instructional partner, the media specialist joins teachers and others to identify links across students information needs, curriculr content, learning content, and a wide variety of print, nonprint, and electronic information resources. As a Information specialist, the library media speciialist works collaborately with members of the learning community to define the policies of the library media program and to guide and direct all activities relatd to it. Proficient in the library specialist plans, executes and evaluates the program to ensure its quality both at a general level an a day- to- day basis. The media specialist has a $5000.00 budget to select new and replacement materials and to purchase supplemental curriculum materials for teachers. The media specialist is able to use the school's modest supplies and printing budget.
The User/Match Environment
Bueford Franklin Edison High School is governed by the School Board which the governing body of the District. Beuford Franklin Edison High School does have a policy that offers equal intellectual acces to all which is located in the media centers policy manual. The School Board, staff and media specialist feel strong about free access to the user community.
Lynne Borst's
Global
BFE High is nestled in the hills of north Florida in Lafayette County. Although we call it “high school,” BFE combines grades 6 – 12 in one building. BFE is located in the heart of a county filled with about 40,000 year-round residents. This area of Florida has consistently maintained a rural identity and is filled with many small businesses and farms. The county offers a wide variety of activities including boating and fishing opportunities on many lakes, a short drive to the Gulf, forests, state and county parks, bike trails, and much more.
BFE High School opened on a hot summer day in August of 1984 with a population of about 250 students. The students that fill the small high school are approximately 12 – 18 years old. More than 48% of the students are enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program. 26% of the population are minorities. 45 teachers and one administrator work in this high school.
The largest change in the local community mirrors the national economic picture. The county is coping with recent trends of higher unemployment, escalating home foreclosures, and food banks unable to meet higher demands.
Organizational
The BFE media center is currently run by one employee: a certified media specialist. Using Gareth Morgan’s organization models, this media center mirrors his first model. The model is the traditional hierarchy and this public school is no exception to the rule. The certified media specialist gives daily routine tasks such as shelving books, checking in and checking out books, labeling, etc. to her student assistants that help the media center run smoothly.
Additionally, the media specialist is responsible for the budget totaling $6,500, ordering supplies, books, furniture and reporting to the principal of the entire high school. The budget is divided between $4,250 set aside for book purchases and $2,000 allotted for supplies, security, technology needs, and furniture.
The media center specialist has fewer technology responsibilities than the technology specialist. The media center offers ten computers to students and teachers who spend time in the media center. These computers offer internet. The media center is also home to technology that is used by the staff. For example, ELMO’s and overhead projectors are housed in the media center. They are also inventoried through the media center.
Since there is only a single media specialist, the communication is all through this one person. She/he communicates face to face with the students that work in the media center. The media specialist uses email to contact other staff members.
Employees have instantaneous access to their job descriptions and duties through the overseeing school board website. Another resource for employees to use is the intranet. This site is specific to BFE High School. It houses many items including shared document folders for employees. These shared documents contain information about how to use available technology, calendars, attendance, in-service registration and information, etc. Shared documents are updated and added to regularly. In-service seminars are mandated regularly and information is emailed weekly about topics, meeting times, etc. User/Match
There is currently no policy regarding intellectual freedom. However, the district has written policy concerning copyrighted materials. The Lafayette School Board requires all users to follow copyright laws. Teachers must instruct students on these laws before giving an assignment. The district also states any licensed materials my only be used for the purchased number of licenses. All staff members and students must be aware of their responsibilities.
Although there is no specific written policy regarding privacy for students. Staff, however, are notified that all internet use is legally public record. Anything that is on any computer in the school can be viewed by any member of the public. Therefore, all staff is warned that all computer use is a public record and is only to be used for the benefit of education.
GISELLE JORDAN
Global
With a population of 8,045 residents, Lafayette County, located in the northwest of Florida is one of the least populated counties in the state. From 2008 to 2000, the county’s population growth rate of 14.1% is average when compared to the 14.7% growth rate of Florida over the same time period. The population overall is less educated when compared to the rest of Florida since 68.2% of the population has a high school degree vs. 79.9% for the state of Florida. Additionally, only 7.2% of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher, while that percent is 22.3% in Florida. Furthermore, 22.0% of people in the county are below poverty. The poverty rate for Florida is 12.1%. The county has one library system with 3 branches that serves several counties in the area, including Lafayette. These branches are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
There is one school district in the county and it is composed of 4 schools with a total of 1,074 students. These schools are an adult education school, a virtual school for grades k-12, an elementary school, and a high school called BFE. The district received an ‘A’ in 2009 for the first time in 5 years. However, the ‘A’ was for the elementary school and BFE High School received a ‘B.’ The rating was based on how well students performed in reading, math, writing and science.
Five hundred and twenty students attend BFE HS, making the school the largest in the district since almost half of all the students in the county attend the high school. Of the 520 students, 213 are free lunch eligible. This is an indicator that almost half of the students live below the poverty line.
Organizational
BFE HS has a small school library media center (SLMC) with an annual budget of $4,000 for books and other media and $2,000 for other items such as furniture and technology. The SLMC strives to abide by the 21st –Century Learner guidelines set forth by the American Association of School Librarians.
User/Match
The BFE SLMC also follows the code of ethics established by the American Library Association. Especially in that they promote intellectual freedom and fight against censorship.
Danielle Wishka
Level 1
At Buford Franklin Edison High School, our primary goal is “to provide all students with educational opportunities.” Because we empower our students with the responsibility for their own learning we strive to create an open community in which we are all the conduits of information. Our philosophy places the school library media center at the heart of our goal.
Our facility is a “small library with a big heart.” With one full-time librarian, we are lucky to have assistance from several community volunteers, as well as student helpers. With the aid of supportive teachers our schedule is both fixed and open. Each grade meets in the library on a set schedule once a week for lessons focused on reading appreciation or comprehension skills. Meetings are also scheduled on an as need basis with each class for information seeking lessons. Both administration and our librarian are proponents of teacher/librarian collaboration; therefore each class makes use of the additional schedule opportunities. The library schedule is restricted to school hours because we have only one paid library position.
Our collection is an average size for our school population with approximately 4,000 print resources. The fiction section is well maintained with award winning picture and chapter books purchased each year. Our nonfiction section, however, has become outdated. Both the reference resources along with trade resources are aesthetically outdated as well as the content. Magazine subscriptions include Sports Illustrated and National Geographic. Collection development has slowed over the years due to decreases in government funding.
Technology is important to information seeking instruction and the open information environment we strive to create in the 21st Century. Over the past several year library funding has been utilized to build our technology department. In the media center one desktop computer is used purely for searching our server -based OPAC. Ten laptops, also with OPAC access, are primarily checked out for Internet based searching and utilized during instruction.
Level 2
Our student body consists of 520 students, 278 males and 237 females, grades six through twelve. As the only public high school from our community we service all students in the 534 square mile county, therefore they often travel cross county each day. Over 75% of our population is white, with the remainder of black or Hispanic decent.
Located in a rural, area agriculture is our strongest academic tract. We also focus on athletics and business. These programs are some of the strongest in the state of Florida. While we have a 97% graduation rate, academic performance is below the state average and we have not yet satisfied the No Child Left Behind academic standards. At 87% we fall just below with a B grade. At the middle school level 57% of our students are reading at or above grade level, however by tenth grade it decreases to 26%. Performance in math and science mirrors this trend. We continually strive to increase our scores to national standards.
Level 3
Cathy Felty
Level 3 - “Global” - the External Environment:
Beuford Franklin Edison High School is located at 421 NE Cove Road. in Mayo, Florida. The town of Mayo serves as the county seat for Lafayette County. Lafayette County is located in north Florida, approximately 80 miles southeast of Tallahassee, the state capital. The county has a total area of 548 square miles of which, 543 square miles of it is land and 5 square miles is water. The population is 7,482 people, with 2,242 households, and 1,791 families residing in the county. The racial makeup of the county was White 79.27%, Black 14.37%, Native American 0.71%, Asian/ Pacific Islander 4.13%, and Hispanic 9.14%. There were 2,242 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The median income for a household in the county was $30,651, and the median income for a family was $35,020. The average per capita income is approximately $15,176.00 per year. About 12.90% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.70% of those under age 18. The main employers in the county are agriculturally-based businesses, the Mayo Correctional Facility, county government and the local school district.
Beuford Franklin Edison High School is one of the two public schools located in Lafayette County. Lafayette Elementary School serves approximately 554 students from pre-K through 5th grade and Beuford Franklin Edison High School serves approximately 520 students from 6th through 12th grade. Beuford Franklin Edison (BFE) received a “B” in the state school grading program. This grade is calculated by adding points earned from performance in reading, math, writing and science. The BFE staff consists of 45 certified teachers and 34 support personnel. The racial make up of the student population at BFE High School is: White 75.4%, Black 11.9%, Native American 0.2%, Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2%, and Hispanic 11/3%. Of the 520 students 52.5% are identified as Economically Disadvantaged, 14.1% are Students with Disabilities and 3.8% are English Language Learners. The school continually develops and implements plans to manage available resources in a way that ensures a quality education for all students. The school is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and provides a full range of programs and services for students, including a School Library Media Center with resources to support overall student achievement as well as course offerings correlated to the Sunshine State Standards.
Level 2 - “Organizational” - the Internal Environment:
The School Library Media Center located at Beuford Franklin Edison High School is an approximately 4000 square feet area situated in the geographical center of the school. The media center features a library with over 10,000 volumes, student work tables, a quiet reading area, a private meeting room, 10 modern internet accessible computer stations, a closed-circuit television station, a faculty resource and work area, and media specialist office. The media center is staff by a full-time MLIS certified School Media Specialist and a paraprofessional. Two community volunteers donate an average of 10 hours time each week to work in the media center. Additionally, student volunteers from the Journalism class assist with production of a weekly television school news program. The School Library Media Center is a single component of BFE High School, following Morgan’s Model 2 example. The school media specialist is charged with the operation of the SLMC responsible for selection, purchase, and maintenance of the media center resources and technology and serves on the School Leadership Team. The position requires the media specialist to manage and supervise the paraprofessional and volunteers. She directs these individuals to perform daily maintenance tasks of operating the circulation desk, processing, shelving, and repairing books as necessary, school and community outreach, professional development for faculty and staff, fundraising, and special projects. Additionally, the media specialist is the technology specialist for the school and responsible for ensuring that all computer hardware and software is working effectively. Her primary responsibility, over and above merely serving the students of the school, is unjamming the big copy machine in the teacher’s lounge, making sure the color printer in the media center is well stocked with paper, and distributing toner to individual teachers making sure they sign a document in blood stating they have received said toner. Don't worry. I am merely venting and expect this to be deleted if we use some of my suggested background :)
The primary funding source for the SLMC budget come from the SLMA School Library Media Allocation awarded by the state for approximately $1,963. Additionally, the library receives almost 2% of the instructional materials budget ($2541) for discretionary spending for media center resources for a total budget of $4504. The media specialist is also involved in a variety of grant writing and fundraising efforts in order increase the budget.
All items in the media center inventory are processed into the Destiny OPAC software system to be checked out by users. There are two checkout stations: one at the circulation desk in the middle of the library and one near the rear exit of the library. The ten computer stations in the media center are wheelchair accessible and can be adjusted to meet the height of the user. Four of the computers have integrated touch screens and four have adapted keyboards for students who cannot use a regular keyboard. Computers are networked to print to a Braille printer. All stations have screen readers for students with visual or intellectual disabilities. The media center is the source for technology at BFE. Each grade level is assigned a portable “Smartboard set-up” which includes an A/V cart with a laptop computer, a document camera, an LCD projector, and a portable Smartboard. The items are reserved, checked out, and returned to the media center. Additional technology items such as classroom computers, televisions, DVD/VCR players, overhead projectors, and CD/tape players are cataloged through the media center but placed in classrooms on long term check out. Primary communication within the media center is by face to face communication and email when written documentation is necessary. A weekly “task list” lists items that need to be accomplished with priorities being addressed each day. The media specialist and the media paraprofessional are members of the Association of Big Bend Media Specialists and attend monthly meetings at which they learn state and local/district policy, emerging technology, and best practice for School Library Media Centers. Further assistance and professional development in technology, especially as it relates to accessing information for students with special needs is provided through the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System, FDLRS-Miccosukee in Tallahassee. There is not a written customer service policy.
Level 1 - “The User/Information Match” - the Intimate Environment:
All business conducted in the media center is required to fall within guidelines of District Policy. While the primary objective of the school library media center is to implement, enrich and support the educational program of the school, it is also charged with providing a collection of materials that take into account the interests and abilities of the students, and allows students to learn critical analysis and to make judgments in their daily lives. While the School Board is legally responsible for all matters related to the school, it is the responsibility of the instructional professionals to select educational materials. Parents have the right to review all materials in the library, and have the right to not allow their child access to certain books- as written in District Policy. If a parent objects to a resource in the media center there is a procedure in place to review materials. Materials shall not be removed from the shelves while undergoing the review process.
BFE High School media center adheres to copyright and fair use guidelines. Posters that briefly identify resources and amounts and that can be copied and incorporated into digital multimedia productions are displayed in the media center, in the teacher work room, and throughout the school.
All school computers are subject to District policy related to telecommunications, including those in the BFE media center. All users who wish to access a school computer must have a uniquely identifying network login username and password. Each station has Lightspeed filtering software that analyzes and blocks or allows access to websites based on the user’s status. Teachers and staff have greater access than students. Student access is based on grade level. Elementary students will only be allowed access to sites deemed to be Elementary level. High school students will be allowed access to sites deemed High school level and below. All users have the right to request a review from the District Technology Committee to release a website that is blocked.
Additional Budget Info
From Cathy Felty-
In the state of Florida public school funding is provided through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) which allocates categorical funding to school districts which, in turn, distributes funds to schools within the district. The primary funding source for the SLMC budget is the School Library Materials Allocation (SLMA) awarded by the state for approximately $3.775 per unit X 520 student units for a total of $1,963. Additionally, the library receives almost 2% of the FEFP Instructional Materials Allocation from Categorical Programs funding from the school budget ($2541) for discretionary spending for media center resources. The Media Center also receives a supply allocation from the School’s General Operating Funds of $750 for purchasing paper, toner, book processing and repair materials, etc. Florida Education Finance Program Reading Allocation provides an additional $2.53 per student X 520 student units for $1315.60 total for purchases of materials that support the District Remedial Reading Plan. The media specialist is also involved in a variety of grant writing and fundraising efforts in order to increase the budget. In the last twelve months, BFE Media Center has been awarded the following grants: Big Bend Education Foundation Classroom Mini-Grant for $500 to be used toward the purchase of library materials. Scholastic Books awarded a $1000 gift certificate good toward purchases of Scholastic products. Individual private donations to sponsor books for the library totaled $387, with a matching grant from WalMart Foundation for a total of $774. Grand total for media center funds is $8843.60. Funds allocated for Technology are no longer considered “Categorical” funding by the state, thus this source has been removed from the SLMC budget and allocated to the District Management Information Systems Group.
Giselle- NOTE::: Is it possible to plump up our budget with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to the FEFP database Lafayette County received $354,698 and with technology as the focus of the ARRA funds we can use some of these funds to help the pitiful computer problems at the school. Maybe we can add that as part of our plan??
Please look at my paragraph again about the technology, and the last paragraph about user/info match and privacy. They are realistic.
Background: Information Provision Environment (IPE)
Kathy McConnell
The Global EnvironmnetThe BFE High School Media Center is located in Beuford Franklin Edison High School, which is a part of Lafayette County District Schools. BFE High is located in rural Lafayette County, FL. The population of Lafayette County is 7,482. The school district consists of one Elementary School and one High School, which is governed by a School Board consisting of 5 members.
The BFE School Library Media Center’s primary users are students of BFE High, teachers, and parents. BFE high consists of grades 6-12, and has an enrollment of 520 students. There are 45 teachers and 34 support personnel. All of the students in the school use the library to some extent due to either class visits or assignments that require use of library space and/or library materials, with the lower grades using the library more often. Higher grades tend to use the library only when specifically assigned to do so. Most teachers use the library, but few of the support staff do.
The SLMC is three years old, and is encouraging all students to visit the library. Lower grades are coming in a class, and teachers are assigning older students work which requires library use as a way to introduce them to the benefits of a school library. As a new organization, the media center does not have a lot of parent use and is trying to get the word out to parents about the benefits of a school library and encouraging parents to take part in library activities.
An important change in the external environment has been the election of a new School Superintendant. The district now has a new superintendant of schools who strives to improve communication with parents by improving the district’s website by implementing a product called Pinnacle within the next years which will allow parents to view their child’s exact grades and more easily communicate with teachers. This new Superintendant values communication and is implementing a management style which includes monthly input from all levels of the school district.
The Organizational Environment
The School Media Center has a head librarian and one assistant librarian. The organizational structure most closely matches Gareth Morgan’s Models 1 and 2. While the bigger structure of the school district is much like a bureaucracy (Model 1), the media center itself has characteristics of Model 2 in which moderate amounts of change are easily managed. The employees of the media center answer to the school’s principle, who in turn answers to the school board. This system is much like a classical bureaucracy. Inside the walls of the school media center however, the two-member team often behaves in accord with Morgan’s Model 2. Since the media center is relatively new, there have been various changes that have been dealt with as the organization started its initial operations. Since the organization is a two-member operation, there is occasional teamwork and collaboration between the two employees, with the head librarian asking for input from the assistant, but the professional librarian often makes final decisions alone.
The school district allots $9,000 for an operational budget which the librarian must use for all items including books, magazine subscriptions, programming, and supplies. The librarian often finds it difficult to stretch the budge to fill the needs. Since the center is new, she is still ordering first-time purchases for materials, software, furniture, etc. that a more established organization would already have in place. There are 3 computers for the student body to use. During classes, student’s take turns at the computers, so that students entering the media center for extra work outside of organized classes often find that there is not a free computer. The librarian hopes to receive more funds for new computers.
Internal communication between the librarian and assistant is smooth because the two are usually working together and speak in person daily. Communication with the principle is carried out through occasional meetings. Communication with the larger school district and school board is carried out through email and occasional planned meetings. Communication between the librarian and assistant functions very well, while communication with higher-ups sometimes breaks down.
The two employees get information relevant to their jobs through the internet and reading job-related journals. The head librarian is a member of ALA and SLA and stays on top of new professional developments and information through dialog within these organizations. The librarian shares information with the assistant that is relevant.
The Customer Service policy is to support BFE’s vision statement, which reads “The vision of the Lafayette County School District is to provide all students with educational opportunities within a safe environment conducive to learning which will enable them to become successful students and positive, productive citizens.”. The library sees it’s customer service role, as well as its overall mission, to support this vision in every way possible.
The User/Information Match Environment
The SLMS strongly believes in Intellectual Freedom and continually promotes the freedom to read, while balancing that belief with parental input, teacher and student requests, and the rare challenge of materials. She strives to provide students with a broad range of reading materials which include a wide variety of subjects and represent various cultures and ethnicities in their topics. The SLMS is currently working on a written Intellectual Freedom Policy, with guidance from the American Library Association.
The SLMS believes that all students should have fair access to information, while respecting copyright laws. She has published a hand-out to give to students who are working on research which outlines basic copyright laws. Since the students are getting their first taste of researching and their first information regarding copyright laws, the wording is very simple in the hand-outs to introduce students to the concept of intellectual property rights. The hand-out is a bulleted list of points to remember regarding intellectual property rights, such as remembering to give credit to an author for all ideas taken from a work, and examples of when an author should be given credit in a term paper.
The SLMS believes strongly in the library users’ right to privacy. She seeks to uphold the ALA’s guidelines on this issue. She is currently working on a written policy which balances the concerns of parents and school administrators while adhering to the ALA guidelines, which is a tricky undertaking. Fortunately, so no major issues of privacy concerns have arisen and the SLMS has adhered to an unwritten (and unchallenged) policy of keeping all information about library users private. She hopes to have a written policy to follow in place soon to use when/if an issue arises.
The SLMS hopes to improve the reading skills of the students at BFE High by making reading more enjoyable to students. According to the Florida Department of Education, only 54% of the students in our school are meeting the High Standards in reading, with 58% making learning gains in reading. Our School Media Specialist is dedicated to increasing these numbers and has collaborated with teachers who are also committed to improving reading scores of students. The SLMS is actively engaged in trying to improve students’ interest in reading, knowing that if they are interesting in reading material they will spend more time reading, and thus become better readers. The SLMS is working with teachers to find out what areas are being studied in order to add additional titles to the collection which are both useful and attractive to students. An example is a recent assignment the English classes had to write a term paper. The teacher and SLMS collaborated on a plan to get students more interested in the research and reading for the papers. The teacher allowed the students to choose their own topics at the beginning of the year by brainstorming what they would really be interested in learning more about. Student’s choices were broad, including such topics as “the history of football”, and “Prince William of England”. By knowing the topics ahead of time, the SLMS allocated a portion of funds to purchase materials just for this topic. She chose attractive informative books with these students and their project in mind. These were materials that she would not have otherwise added to the collection, but she felt it was worth it because the student’s would hopefully enjoy the reading more and therefore improve their reading skills due to enthusiasm and a better attitude. This project was a success, with the teacher reporting that students were more interested in their topics than in past years and spent more time reading the resources in depth and wrote more in-depth papers than in previous years.
Additionally, the SLMS is coordinating book purchasing with student’s requests for materials for pleasure reading such as graphic novels and other popular novels. In her past experience she observed students viewing reading as a boring activity they only grudgingly did because it was assigned. She believes that if a student enjoys reading and views it as a pleasurable activity, they will get more practice reading and become better readers.
Sylvia Henderson
The Global EnvironmentBeuford Franklin Edison High School builds a community of learners. Beuford Franklin Edison High School is located in a rural town in Mayo, Florida, and its poulation is 8,013. Beuford Franklin Edison High School is an "A" rated combine middle and high school, which has 520 enrolled students. The staff includes 45 certified teachers and 34 support personnel. Beuford Franklin Edison High School is well known for the following programs: Agriculture, Atheletic, and Business. In addition to these programs, Beuford Franklin Edison High School's accountablilty report reflects that it meets high standards in all subject areas. Currently, Beuford Franklin Edison High School is actively involve with the following Federal projects:
* Title 1- Part A: Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged-This program is designed to provide supplemental instrutional services to students at risk of not achieving proficiency in the state's standards.
* Title I Part C: Education of Migratory Children- Students are eligible for services under this if their parent(s) have made moves to obtan work in certain agricultural jobs which are temporary in nature.
* Title II Part A: Teacher and Principal Training and Recuriting Fund- This federal project is ued to reduce class size by hiring one additional teacher at the elementary level. The remainder of the funds are used to prodvide professional development for teachers.
* Title II Part D: Enhancing Education through Technology- Title II D funds and Title II ARRA ( American Reinvestent and Recovery Act) funds are used for technology hadware, software, and technology training for teachers.* Title VI Part B Subpart 2: Rural and Low Income Schools Program- TheTitle VI project funds may be used for a variety of purposes to improve instruction in the school district.
* Title X Part C: Education of Homeless Children and Youth Project- The purpose of this fund is to assist children whose education may be impacted as a result of their living situation. Students who are residing in a temporary shelter, living in a mobile camper or car, living in substandard housing or living doubled up with another family out of economic necessity are entitled to the services of the Homeless Liaison.
The Organizational Internal Environment
The media center at Beuford Franklin Edison High School is managed by one employee and library assistants who help throughout the year. This employee has an MLIS with school library media certification, and has been a school media specialist for fifteen years. Beuford Franklin Edison High School Media Center offers a fairly extensive package of age-approriate online resources. Beuford Franklin Edison High School Media Center resembles Gareth Morgan's #1 Model. The certified media specialist roles and responsiblities are broad: Teacher, Instructional Partner, Information Specialist, and Program Administrator. As a Teacher, the media specialist collaborates with students, teachers and other members of the learning community to anylaze learning and other members learning community to analyze learning and information needs, locate and use resources that will meet those needs, and talk to understand and communicate the information the resources provide. As an Instructional partner, the media specialist joins teachers and others to identify links across students information needs, curriculr content, learning content, and a wide variety of print, nonprint, and electronic information resources. As a Information specialist, the library media speciialist works collaborately with members of the learning community to define the policies of the library media program and to guide and direct all activities relatd to it. Proficient in the library specialist plans, executes and evaluates the program to ensure its quality both at a general level an a day- to- day basis. The media specialist has a $5000.00 budget to select new and replacement materials and to purchase supplemental curriculum materials for teachers. The media specialist is able to use the school's modest supplies and printing budget.
The User/Match Environment
Bueford Franklin Edison High School is governed by the School Board which the governing body of the District. Beuford Franklin Edison High School does have a policy that offers equal intellectual acces to all which is located in the media centers policy manual. The School Board, staff and media specialist feel strong about free access to the user community.
Lynne Borst's
GlobalBFE High is nestled in the hills of north Florida in Lafayette County. Although we call it “high school,” BFE combines grades 6 – 12 in one building. BFE is located in the heart of a county filled with about 40,000 year-round residents. This area of Florida has consistently maintained a rural identity and is filled with many small businesses and farms. The county offers a wide variety of activities including boating and fishing opportunities on many lakes, a short drive to the Gulf, forests, state and county parks, bike trails, and much more.
BFE High School opened on a hot summer day in August of 1984 with a population of about 250 students. The students that fill the small high school are approximately 12 – 18 years old. More than 48% of the students are enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program. 26% of the population are minorities. 45 teachers and one administrator work in this high school.
The largest change in the local community mirrors the national economic picture. The county is coping with recent trends of higher unemployment, escalating home foreclosures, and food banks unable to meet higher demands.
Organizational
The BFE media center is currently run by one employee: a certified media specialist. Using Gareth Morgan’s organization models, this media center mirrors his first model. The model is the traditional hierarchy and this public school is no exception to the rule. The certified media specialist gives daily routine tasks such as shelving books, checking in and checking out books, labeling, etc. to her student assistants that help the media center run smoothly.
Additionally, the media specialist is responsible for the budget totaling $6,500, ordering supplies, books, furniture and reporting to the principal of the entire high school. The budget is divided between $4,250 set aside for book purchases and $2,000 allotted for supplies, security, technology needs, and furniture.
The media center specialist has fewer technology responsibilities than the technology specialist. The media center offers ten computers to students and teachers who spend time in the media center. These computers offer internet. The media center is also home to technology that is used by the staff. For example, ELMO’s and overhead projectors are housed in the media center. They are also inventoried through the media center.
Since there is only a single media specialist, the communication is all through this one person. She/he communicates face to face with the students that work in the media center. The media specialist uses email to contact other staff members.
Employees have instantaneous access to their job descriptions and duties through the overseeing school board website. Another resource for employees to use is the intranet. This site is specific to BFE High School. It houses many items including shared document folders for employees. These shared documents contain information about how to use available technology, calendars, attendance, in-service registration and information, etc. Shared documents are updated and added to regularly. In-service seminars are mandated regularly and information is emailed weekly about topics, meeting times, etc.
User/Match
There is currently no policy regarding intellectual freedom. However, the district has written policy concerning copyrighted materials. The Lafayette School Board requires all users to follow copyright laws. Teachers must instruct students on these laws before giving an assignment. The district also states any licensed materials my only be used for the purchased number of licenses. All staff members and students must be aware of their responsibilities.
Although there is no specific written policy regarding privacy for students. Staff, however, are notified that all internet use is legally public record. Anything that is on any computer in the school can be viewed by any member of the public. Therefore, all staff is warned that all computer use is a public record and is only to be used for the benefit of education.
GISELLE JORDAN
GlobalWith a population of 8,045 residents, Lafayette County, located in the northwest of Florida is one of the least populated counties in the state. From 2008 to 2000, the county’s population growth rate of 14.1% is average when compared to the 14.7% growth rate of Florida over the same time period. The population overall is less educated when compared to the rest of Florida since 68.2% of the population has a high school degree vs. 79.9% for the state of Florida. Additionally, only 7.2% of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher, while that percent is 22.3% in Florida. Furthermore, 22.0% of people in the county are below poverty. The poverty rate for Florida is 12.1%. The county has one library system with 3 branches that serves several counties in the area, including Lafayette. These branches are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
There is one school district in the county and it is composed of 4 schools with a total of 1,074 students. These schools are an adult education school, a virtual school for grades k-12, an elementary school, and a high school called BFE. The district received an ‘A’ in 2009 for the first time in 5 years. However, the ‘A’ was for the elementary school and BFE High School received a ‘B.’ The rating was based on how well students performed in reading, math, writing and science.
Five hundred and twenty students attend BFE HS, making the school the largest in the district since almost half of all the students in the county attend the high school. Of the 520 students, 213 are free lunch eligible. This is an indicator that almost half of the students live below the poverty line.
Organizational
BFE HS has a small school library media center (SLMC) with an annual budget of $4,000 for books and other media and $2,000 for other items such as furniture and technology. The SLMC strives to abide by the 21st –Century Learner guidelines set forth by the American Association of School Librarians.
User/Match
The BFE SLMC also follows the code of ethics established by the American Library Association. Especially in that they promote intellectual freedom and fight against censorship.
Danielle Wishka
Level 1At Buford Franklin Edison High School, our primary goal is “to provide all students with educational opportunities.” Because we empower our students with the responsibility for their own learning we strive to create an open community in which we are all the conduits of information. Our philosophy places the school library media center at the heart of our goal.
Our facility is a “small library with a big heart.” With one full-time librarian, we are lucky to have assistance from several community volunteers, as well as student helpers. With the aid of supportive teachers our schedule is both fixed and open. Each grade meets in the library on a set schedule once a week for lessons focused on reading appreciation or comprehension skills. Meetings are also scheduled on an as need basis with each class for information seeking lessons. Both administration and our librarian are proponents of teacher/librarian collaboration; therefore each class makes use of the additional schedule opportunities. The library schedule is restricted to school hours because we have only one paid library position.
Our collection is an average size for our school population with approximately 4,000 print resources. The fiction section is well maintained with award winning picture and chapter books purchased each year. Our nonfiction section, however, has become outdated. Both the reference resources along with trade resources are aesthetically outdated as well as the content. Magazine subscriptions include Sports Illustrated and National Geographic. Collection development has slowed over the years due to decreases in government funding.
Technology is important to information seeking instruction and the open information environment we strive to create in the 21st Century. Over the past several year library funding has been utilized to build our technology department. In the media center one desktop computer is used purely for searching our server -based OPAC. Ten laptops, also with OPAC access, are primarily checked out for Internet based searching and utilized during instruction.
Level 2
Our student body consists of 520 students, 278 males and 237 females, grades six through twelve. As the only public high school from our community we service all students in the 534 square mile county, therefore they often travel cross county each day. Over 75% of our population is white, with the remainder of black or Hispanic decent.
Located in a rural, area agriculture is our strongest academic tract. We also focus on athletics and business. These programs are some of the strongest in the state of Florida. While we have a 97% graduation rate, academic performance is below the state average and we have not yet satisfied the No Child Left Behind academic standards. At 87% we fall just below with a B grade. At the middle school level 57% of our students are reading at or above grade level, however by tenth grade it decreases to 26%. Performance in math and science mirrors this trend. We continually strive to increase our scores to national standards.
Level 3
Cathy Felty
Level 3 - “Global” - the External Environment:Beuford Franklin Edison High School is located at 421 NE Cove Road. in Mayo, Florida. The town of Mayo serves as the county seat for Lafayette County. Lafayette County is located in north Florida, approximately 80 miles southeast of Tallahassee, the state capital. The county has a total area of 548 square miles of which, 543 square miles of it is land and 5 square miles is water. The population is 7,482 people, with 2,242 households, and 1,791 families residing in the county. The racial makeup of the county was White 79.27%, Black 14.37%, Native American 0.71%, Asian/ Pacific Islander 4.13%, and Hispanic 9.14%. There were 2,242 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The median income for a household in the county was $30,651, and the median income for a family was $35,020. The average per capita income is approximately $15,176.00 per year. About 12.90% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.70% of those under age 18. The main employers in the county are agriculturally-based businesses, the Mayo Correctional Facility, county government and the local school district.
Beuford Franklin Edison High School is one of the two public schools located in Lafayette County. Lafayette Elementary School serves approximately 554 students from pre-K through 5th grade and Beuford Franklin Edison High School serves approximately 520 students from 6th through 12th grade. Beuford Franklin Edison (BFE) received a “B” in the state school grading program. This grade is calculated by adding points earned from performance in reading, math, writing and science. The BFE staff consists of 45 certified teachers and 34 support personnel. The racial make up of the student population at BFE High School is: White 75.4%, Black 11.9%, Native American 0.2%, Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2%, and Hispanic 11/3%. Of the 520 students 52.5% are identified as Economically Disadvantaged, 14.1% are Students with Disabilities and 3.8% are English Language Learners. The school continually develops and implements plans to manage available resources in a way that ensures a quality education for all students. The school is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and provides a full range of programs and services for students, including a School Library Media Center with resources to support overall student achievement as well as course offerings correlated to the Sunshine State Standards.
Level 2 - “Organizational” - the Internal Environment:
The School Library Media Center located at Beuford Franklin Edison High School is an approximately 4000 square feet area situated in the geographical center of the school. The media center features a library with over 10,000 volumes, student work tables, a quiet reading area, a private meeting room, 10 modern internet accessible computer stations, a closed-circuit television station, a faculty resource and work area, and media specialist office. The media center is staff by a full-time MLIS certified School Media Specialist and a paraprofessional. Two community volunteers donate an average of 10 hours time each week to work in the media center. Additionally, student volunteers from the Journalism class assist with production of a weekly television school news program. The School Library Media Center is a single component of BFE High School, following Morgan’s Model 2 example. The school media specialist is charged with the operation of the SLMC responsible for selection, purchase, and maintenance of the media center resources and technology and serves on the School Leadership Team. The position requires the media specialist to manage and supervise the paraprofessional and volunteers. She directs these individuals to perform daily maintenance tasks of operating the circulation desk, processing, shelving, and repairing books as necessary, school and community outreach, professional development for faculty and staff, fundraising, and special projects. Additionally, the media specialist is the technology specialist for the school and responsible for ensuring that all computer hardware and software is working effectively. Her primary responsibility, over and above merely serving the students of the school, is unjamming the big copy machine in the teacher’s lounge, making sure the color printer in the media center is well stocked with paper, and distributing toner to individual teachers making sure they sign a document in blood stating they have received said toner. Don't worry. I am merely venting and expect this to be deleted if we use some of my suggested background :)
The primary funding source for the SLMC budget come from the SLMA School Library Media Allocation awarded by the state for approximately $1,963. Additionally, the library receives almost 2% of the instructional materials budget ($2541) for discretionary spending for media center resources for a total budget of $4504. The media specialist is also involved in a variety of grant writing and fundraising efforts in order increase the budget.
All items in the media center inventory are processed into the Destiny OPAC software system to be checked out by users. There are two checkout stations: one at the circulation desk in the middle of the library and one near the rear exit of the library. The ten computer stations in the media center are wheelchair accessible and can be adjusted to meet the height of the user. Four of the computers have integrated touch screens and four have adapted keyboards for students who cannot use a regular keyboard. Computers are networked to print to a Braille printer. All stations have screen readers for students with visual or intellectual disabilities. The media center is the source for technology at BFE. Each grade level is assigned a portable “Smartboard set-up” which includes an A/V cart with a laptop computer, a document camera, an LCD projector, and a portable Smartboard. The items are reserved, checked out, and returned to the media center. Additional technology items such as classroom computers, televisions, DVD/VCR players, overhead projectors, and CD/tape players are cataloged through the media center but placed in classrooms on long term check out. Primary communication within the media center is by face to face communication and email when written documentation is necessary. A weekly “task list” lists items that need to be accomplished with priorities being addressed each day. The media specialist and the media paraprofessional are members of the Association of Big Bend Media Specialists and attend monthly meetings at which they learn state and local/district policy, emerging technology, and best practice for School Library Media Centers. Further assistance and professional development in technology, especially as it relates to accessing information for students with special needs is provided through the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System, FDLRS-Miccosukee in Tallahassee. There is not a written customer service policy.
Level 1 - “The User/Information Match” - the Intimate Environment:
All business conducted in the media center is required to fall within guidelines of District Policy. While the primary objective of the school library media center is to implement, enrich and support the educational program of the school, it is also charged with providing a collection of materials that take into account the interests and abilities of the students, and allows students to learn critical analysis and to make judgments in their daily lives. While the School Board is legally responsible for all matters related to the school, it is the responsibility of the instructional professionals to select educational materials. Parents have the right to review all materials in the library, and have the right to not allow their child access to certain books- as written in District Policy. If a parent objects to a resource in the media center there is a procedure in place to review materials. Materials shall not be removed from the shelves while undergoing the review process.
BFE High School media center adheres to copyright and fair use guidelines. Posters that briefly identify resources and amounts and that can be copied and incorporated into digital multimedia productions are displayed in the media center, in the teacher work room, and throughout the school.
All school computers are subject to District policy related to telecommunications, including those in the BFE media center. All users who wish to access a school computer must have a uniquely identifying network login username and password. Each station has Lightspeed filtering software that analyzes and blocks or allows access to websites based on the user’s status. Teachers and staff have greater access than students. Student access is based on grade level. Elementary students will only be allowed access to sites deemed to be Elementary level. High school students will be allowed access to sites deemed High school level and below. All users have the right to request a review from the District Technology Committee to release a website that is blocked.
Additional Budget Info
From Cathy Felty-In the state of Florida public school funding is provided through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) which allocates categorical funding to school districts which, in turn, distributes funds to schools within the district. The primary funding source for the SLMC budget is the School Library Materials Allocation (SLMA) awarded by the state for approximately $3.775 per unit X 520 student units for a total of $1,963. Additionally, the library receives almost 2% of the FEFP Instructional Materials Allocation from Categorical Programs funding from the school budget ($2541) for discretionary spending for media center resources. The Media Center also receives a supply allocation from the School’s General Operating Funds of $750 for purchasing paper, toner, book processing and repair materials, etc. Florida Education Finance Program Reading Allocation provides an additional $2.53 per student X 520 student units for $1315.60 total for purchases of materials that support the District Remedial Reading Plan. The media specialist is also involved in a variety of grant writing and fundraising efforts in order to increase the budget. In the last twelve months, BFE Media Center has been awarded the following grants: Big Bend Education Foundation Classroom Mini-Grant for $500 to be used toward the purchase of library materials. Scholastic Books awarded a $1000 gift certificate good toward purchases of Scholastic products. Individual private donations to sponsor books for the library totaled $387, with a matching grant from WalMart Foundation for a total of $774. Grand total for media center funds is $8843.60. Funds allocated for Technology are no longer considered “Categorical” funding by the state, thus this source has been removed from the SLMC budget and allocated to the District Management Information Systems Group.
Giselle- NOTE::: Is it possible to plump up our budget with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to the FEFP database Lafayette County received $354,698 and with technology as the focus of the ARRA funds we can use some of these funds to help the pitiful computer problems at the school. Maybe we can add that as part of our plan??
Please look at my paragraph again about the technology, and the last paragraph about user/info match and privacy. They are realistic.